from Peru to Canada - we did it!!

With 10 years of international travel under their belt, Matt and Michelle Tupy along with their two children Emilia and Matthew, decided to take on a travel challenge - driving from Peru to Canada in a 1977 Volkswagen Kombi. With experience of long term living in China, Peru, Australia and Canada and many short trips beside, unchartered waters are nothing new for this courageous family...until now!

'“Why not”, we thought. It probably wasn’t the most ridiculous idea we had come up with in our 10 years together.So we had no money to speak of, no vehicle at this point in time, but surely a road trip with the four of us from South America to Canada wasn’t impossible.' - Michelle Tupy, And Off We Went

In true Little Miss Sunshine style - they completed a road trip in a van with a beauty pageant princess from Cusco to Niagara Falls - the result an awesome book and one even greater adventure.

Michelle, Matt, Emilia and Matthew did the long drive home - from Cusco, Peru to Niagara Falls, Canada crossing the vast continent of South America, Central America and North America in a van with two awesome but quirky kids - one loves to sing and the other loves to do Michael Jackson impressions. World-schooling, volunteering, meaningful travel and awesome adventures - and totally book worthy to boot.

popular blog posts from and off we went

And no we aren’t talking about leaving them at home! Travelling with kids, regardless of their age, can be a very worthwhile and positive experience for the whole family. Yes, we understand that it can be challenging and even downright frustrating at times, so for this reason we have provided our 8 top tips to make travelling with your kids so much easier.

Tourists come in droves to Cusco as it is the major travel hub for Machu Picchu – the destination where the hordes either fly into or bus across to. Some stay for a night, head to Machu Picchu, stay for another night on their return and leave. Others take their time to enjoy the city at a more leisurely place – we were the latter, having now been based in Cusco for 18 months. For those heading to Cusco with kids, know that there is plenty to see and do so the kids don’t get bored. Here are some of our favourites.

One of the questions which is asked often in many long term travel forums and world schooling groups is, “How on Earth are you able to afford long term travel?” And there is no one answer. Every family or individual has a different approach to their budget and logistics and of course each set of circumstances is different.

What works for some won’t necessarily work for others, but this list is definitely a great place to start.